Elissa Tobin (Technology Integration Specialist/SI Coordinator)

List 3 sessions you attended (Title and Description)

Online and Mandatory SI – Ali Saadat and Farhad Ghamsari, University of California-Riverside, Riverside, CA, USAThe presenters introduced and discussed the implementation and details of two programs that are specific to UCR: an online-based Supplemental Instruction initiative, and an elective first-year college component-Learning Community, that includes Supplemental Instruction as a mandatory portion.

Professor Involvement: Utilizing Faculty Support for Program Strength – Ethel Swartzendruber, David Bos, Chelsea Hunter, and Luke Shumaker, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USAA supportive professor can be the catalyst for greater student participation in weekly SI study sessions. This presentation showcased the correlation between the involvement of a student-focused faculty member and students’ perceptions and participation. Two SI leaders and their professor shared their perspectives of a pedagogical improvement from this type of student leader/faculty relationship.

Collaborative SI: Creating Partnerships in Funding, Training, and Managing SI Programs Across Campus – Amy Besa and Leticia Villarreal, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi, TX, USAThis was an interactive session full of tips and tricks to run a successful SI partnership. Participants learned three main things: (1) similarities and differences in management practices for SI programs; (2) ideas for training new and returning SI leaders; and (3) different funding sources available for SI programs.

Incorporating Online and Blended SI Review Sessions into your Supplemental Instruction Program – Johanna Dvorak, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USAThis session was focused on individuals interested in increasing access and attendance for SI sessions. The presentation describes how to use an online synchronous web conferencing platform and interactive whiteboards to conduct online and blended SI review sessions. The presenter discussed program organization, funding, administration, training, evaluation, and featured clips of SI sessions.

The buzz of a busy Academic Success Center can be eerily similar to that of a crowded restaurant – jam-packed with staff, customers, and high expectations. This presentation explored the best practices of how to manage the logistics of an Academic Success Center through the lens of a well-oiled restaurant.

This interactive workshop outlined what one Supplemental Instruction program does to embrace the equity element of the campus mission statement. The presenter discussed several training strategies designed to create a more inclusive program.

A Regression Analysis of Student Motivation and the Effect of SI on Student Success – Dave Carlson and Kathryn Beck, University of Wisconsin-Rock County, Janesville, WI, USA

The presenters explained how they controlled for student motivation in a study to show that the correlation between attending SI sessions and receiving a higher course grade is not accidental. The presenters assisted audience members in planning how to do similar studies of their SI Programs.

This presentation focused on the implementation of an SI program in multiple sections of an introductory Biology course taught with a ‘flipped classroom’ pedagogy. The presenters offered insight into the successes and challenges of implementing SI in a ‘flipped’ classroom.

This interactive workshop outlined what one Supplemental Instruction program does to embrace the equity element of the campus mission statement. The presenter discussed several training strategies designed to create a more inclusive program.

One significant item you learned from the conference that you were unaware of and would like to share with colleagues. I was not aware that universities are holding online SI sessions, making it accessible to students who are unable to attend in person. While in-person SI sessions are still the primary means, leaders are recording their sessions and streaming them live via tools like Blackboard Collaborate which allows people to log in from home and still participate and engage. While I’m not sure this is something that would be successful here at OHC, given some access concerns, I think it is an interesting option we might be able to pilot with a tech savvy SI Leader in a future semester.What one activity would you recommend we implement immediately?Something I recommend we implement immediately is more regular observations of new SI leaders and a creation of the SI Mentor role. In the UMKC model, new SI leaders are observed every session for the first two weeks (mainly because there are so many students attending and an observer can help make the leader feel more comfortable easing into their role. Since our classes are much smaller and therefore attendance is lower than a 4-yr, I think we should at least observe one session a week for the first few weeks, or meet more often with those new leaders.What one activity would you recommend we implement in FY 15 budget (Long Term)One of the next-step goals I would recommend is getting a magnetic card reader to assist with attendance tracking. I would like us to be able to move to a paperless program and sign-in sheets can be an easy start to this.If we had available funds what would you recommend we implement?If we had the funds, I would like to see all Biology, Chemistry, and Physics courses, along with select Math courses such as Pre-Calculus and Calculus, be supported with an SI Leader. The challenge we have, aside from money, is finding quality leaders who are still students but understand the student-struggle as well as the importance of SI in student success. There is a science to selecting good SI leaders, and its something all the schools struggle with. Especially in a 2-year college, with talent leaving us after just a few semesters, it is hard to maintain a successful program.Additional comments pertaining to how this conference supports the grant objectives or KPIs of the District.I thought this was an incredibly impactful conference that helps to show our staff and leaders (when funds are available for them to attend) just how “big” the SI program is nationally and internationally. It shows that its bigger than just our school and how so many other institutions have found it to be successful in increasing their success and retention rates.Download Original Report

Cyntkaille Coleman (Student)

The presenters will provide insight into the reality of implementing a Supplemental Instruction program at a 2-year predominantly black commuter college with a distinct population of underprepared students. The session will focus on both the lessons learned and the best practices employed to create a successful and sustainable SI program.

One significant item you learned from the conference that you were unaware of and would like to share with colleagues. I didn’t know SI was offered in four year universities.What one activity would you recommend we implement immediately?More interactive activities and educational seminars for SI leaders.If we had available funds what would you recommend we implement?A seminar or class on technology and SI (i.e. ipads, smartboards)Additional comments pertaining to how this conference supports the grant objectives or KPIs of the District.Overall, I was pleased with the conference as a whole. This was my first conference and for what it was, I felt that it was very informative and well organized. I appreciate the opportunity to be able to present and I am gratified in knowing that our message as a two year college was well received. I look forward to the future of SI with high hopes of the program blossoming into educational perfection. Thank you for the experience.Download Original Report

Name (Title - Discipline)

List 3 sessions you attended (Title and Description)

One significant item you learned from the conference that you were unaware of and would like to share with colleagues.

What one activity would you recommend we implement immediately?

What one activity would you recommend we implement in FY 15 budget (Long Term)

If we had available funds what would you recommend we implement?

Additional comments pertaining to how this conference supports the grant objectives or KPIs of the District.

Download Original Report

Name (Title - Discipline)

List 3 sessions you attended (Title and Description)

One significant item you learned from the conference that you were unaware of and would like to share with colleagues.

What one activity would you recommend we implement immediately?

What one activity would you recommend we implement in FY 15 budget (Long Term)

If we had available funds what would you recommend we implement?

Additional comments pertaining to how this conference supports the grant objectives or KPIs of the District.

Download Original Report

Name (Title - Discipline)

List 3 sessions you attended (Title and Description)

One significant item you learned from the conference that you were unaware of and would like to share with colleagues.

What one activity would you recommend we implement immediately?

What one activity would you recommend we implement in FY 15 budget (Long Term)

If we had available funds what would you recommend we implement?

Additional comments pertaining to how this conference supports the grant objectives or KPIs of the District.

Cornelia Forrester (Faculty - Physical Sciences)

The keynote address by Shane Lopez, Ph.D. Senior Scientist in Residence, The Gallup Poll (futuristic, maximize, arranger) was extremely enlightening and engaging. He talked about building hope in students being the same as we build hope in ourselves. This hope is motivational, uniquely human and costs nothing. Hopeful students are 8 times more likely to complete a course. Another keynote speaker (Vincent Tinto Ph.D. Distinguished Professor at Syracruse University) speaks about students completing college but by completing one course at a time. All the support we offer students such as SI, Learning communities and tutoring should be connected to the classroom and classroom activities.List 3 sessions you attended (Title and Description)

Not Dead but on Life Support –How an SI program at a 2 year College rose from near death to full healthPresenters: Ronald Hoskins, Stephanie Ding and Agnes FloresThese presenters shared how they built an SI program in a 2 year commuter college. The following is a list of how to for an SI supervisor:

Soft Skills in SIThis was a discussion on the correlation of implicit and explicit course content and SI sessions. The presenter shared that all facets of undergraduate education should be valued both implicit and explicit experiences. There are transferable skills that are developed from the SI experience. Self motivation, self confidence, self reliance are just a few that will condition students adaptability to the world. These skills competency were mostly assessed in SI leaders. The data showed that there is development taking place even with the SI leaders who eventually become graduate students and leaders in their own rights. SI Leaders were asked to complete weekly reflective journals and have group meetings to share ideas and experiences to help build their confidence and methods.

Increasing students retention of Content Covered in SI sessionsActivities that can be used to help students retain information and document critical information.

* The sessions should be like a sandwich the opener, meat and closer * Summary Corner; definitions, formulas, equations, resource references, solutions methods, common pitfalls * Students repeating or rephrasing others statements * Closure: final ten minutes of presentation, no new information, only reviews

One significant item you learned from the conference that you were unaware of and would like to share with colleagues. Building hopefulness in students, helping them see a glimpse of their future can build retention. The support we offer students must be connected to the classroom.

What one activity would you recommend we implement immediately?Implementing SI in the STEM related courses as soon as Fall 2012. This could be a double strategy with our tutoring efforts. To help our students get that we are here to help them learn and we have many different opportunities for them to do so.

What one activity would you recommend we implement in FY 14 budget (Long Term)An SI area: A designated area for SI activities.

If we had available funds what would you recommend we implement?Hire SI Leaders and start rolling this out.Additional comments pertaining to how this conference supports the grant objectives or KPIs of the District.Based on the data; SI has helped other schools with retention of students, assisting students with achieving SLO’s and improvement of graduation rates.

Melloney Beck (Faculty - Reading)

List 3 sessions you attended (Title and Description)

Supplemental Instruction and the Hybrid/Inverted classroom The presenter described how SI is used in her flipped classroom, and the unique way in which her SI leader was utilized in the classroom. The presenter provided comparison data to demonstrate the success of the inverted model and the traditional classroom format.

Using SI to Bridge the Transition from Secondary to Tertiary Education The session focused on the utilization of SI leaders to help bridge the gap between high school and college. The presenters discussed the benefits of implementing SI at the high school level in subjects such as math, Science and Physics.

Using Supplemental Instruction in a pre-Collegiate Program to Increase Student SuccessThe presenters discussed how SI was used in a two week intensive on-campus pre-calculus summer camp program for incoming freshmen. The presenters also discussed the far reaching impact on both the student’s social and academic progress.

One significant item you learned from the conference that you were unaware of and would like to share with colleagues. The use of SI in the online arena is a fascinating concept and could really be useful in helping students to become more connected with the college as well as provide an opportunity for both face to face group study sessions as well as on-line synchronous study sessions. Capella University’s on-line SI program is completely online and synchronous. What one activity would you recommend we implement immediately? (Short Term)One activity That I would recommend and I have already implemented is the use of biweekly reports and peer observations of SI sessions.

What one activity would you recommend we implement in the future? (Long Term)I would like to implement SI online. I would also like to implement identifying which courses have SI in the course catalog.

If we had available funds what would you recommend we implement?I would highly recommend that SI leaders be able to attend the student leaders’ conference or the SI conference. There was a lot of valuable information that was geared specifically for SI leaders.I would also recommend that we implement SI on-line with an SI leader who has a bachelor’s degree or higher to facilitate the online sessions.

Additional comments pertaining to how this conference supports the grant objectives or KPIs of the District.This was probably the best conference I have attended. As a result of the conference, I have implemented several new initiatives such as peer observations, biweekly reports, monthly meetings with SI leaders, effectively utilizing SI leaders in Summer Bridge program. I have also gained a better understanding of how SI can be utilized to meet the goals and needs of the students and college.Download Original Report